Cowpens
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Charleville Musket
Firing
and
Cleaning
Cowpens
Revolutionary War Musket
The "Revolutionary" Charleville
Charleville Musket
Charleville Muzzle-Loading Musket
Charleville Lore
The Model 1766 Charleville is based on the first regulation French military musket -- the so-called Model of 1717. The Pedersoli (Italy) reproduction features a European walnut fullstock 57 1/2" long with satin finish, 2 1/2" drop and 13 1/4" trigger pull. Barrel is armory bright .69 caliber smoothbore, round tapered 1.300" at breech to .840" at muzzle. Flintlock uses 1" flints. All steel furniture is armory bright, lockplate is marked "Charleville." Steel ramrod with trumpet shaped head and 10x32 thread. Gun is 60" in overall length and weighs 10 1/2 lbs. Load with 80 grains FFg black powder and patched .680 round ball. Dixie Gun Works
Firing musket videos:
Revolutionary War
Soldier Explaining [Charleville] Flintlock Musket
Firing a Musket:
18th-Century Small Arms
Revolutionary War
Musket Bunker Hill July
2009
Why a
musket???
Why a
musket??? part
2
Musket Firing at Concord
Brown Bess Musket --
Three Shots in
46
Seconds
How to Fire Brown Bess
Musket -- English Heritage
Firing a
Flintlock Musket
Lexington
Concord Battle Road Minute Man National Park
Rifle and
Musket Demonstration at Valley Forge
Revolutionary War Re-enactment [2005
at Cantigny- Wheaton, IL]
The
American Revolution in 4
breathtaking minutes!
Note difference in Rev War vs. later method of putting ball into barrel and in
determining rate of fire. Those claiming five shots per minute usually
started with a loaded musket and jammed the ramrod into the ground as opposed to
returning it to its slot in the musket between firings. Best otherwise is four
shots per minute. Brown Bess expert above almost makes the rate of
four shots per minute (3 shots in 46 seconds is 3.913 shots per minute).
Usual rate is three shots or even just two shots per minute. Common to
fire three shots and then charge with bayonet. Comparatively, rifles might
fire one shot per minute with frequent barrel fouling due to powder
residue build-up.
Firing:
For reenactment cartridges for most modern-made replica muskets, consider using
no ball with 60-100 grains of black powder,
likely 3FFFG fir extra smoke.
Maximum allowable per safety officer usually ranges somewhere between 110 and
120 grains. Check first with your safety officer!!!
Instructions and video of cartridge assembly coming soon!!!
Ball making video coming soon!!
Charleville 1766 Musket Sling
Cleaning:
Musket
Cleaning Kit
Charleville 1766 Lock
After each battle in an event (series or weekend of battles), use a clean towel to remove powder residue from lock, stock,
and barrel. If a bucket of water is available,
you may want to immerse the lock and clean with a toothbrush brush. Dry
thoroughly and lightly oil. Put the touch hole end of the barrel
into the bucket and pour water down the barrel, doing your best to clean it
along the lines of the thorough barrel cleaning procedure outlined below.
For thorough lock cleaning after each event, first disassemble lock (reverse
order of assembly below), then immerse in hot (preferably soapy) water.
Use toothbrush to clean crevices. Rinse with hot, clean water. Dry,
then lightly oil.
To reassemble:
1. Compress spring A using Mainspring Vise to allow for insertion
of B.
2. Insert B into this position.
3. Insert C.
4. Insert D, screwing down with E1 and E2. Uncompress
spring A.
5. Compress spring F, insert into slot, and screw down with G.
6. Insert H and screw down with I.
7. Insert spring J and screw down with K.
8. Compress J with Mainspring Vise and position L and M,
screwing down with N.
9. Grease underside of hammer O and position as shown (not cocked),
adding P (if required), and screwing down with Q.
10. Assemble flint holder and install flint.
For thorough barrel cleaning after each event,
1. Remove the barrel from the stock and put the touch-hole end of the barrel into a bucket of hot, soapy water.
2. Holding the end of the barrel near vertical, pour soapy water down the
barrel a number of times, with the water exiting from the touch-hole.
3. Having put the Ramrod Tool Adapter on the ramrod, attach in turn the
Brush, Jag, and Fouling Scraper, running each down the barrel
several times, gently twisting the Fouling Scraper in a clockwise. If gets
stuck, do not turn counter-clockwise too many time to risk losing it.
4. Attach the Slotted Tip Patch Holder or the Worm to the ramrod, and run
one or two cleaning patches
(2.5 inch sq or appropriately free-handed) down the barrel, pulling up
soapy water on the up-strokes.
5. Remove the ramrod and pour clean hot water down the barrel until the
water from the touch-hole runs clean.
6. Make additional clean patch runs with the ramrod until the patches show
no black powder residue.
7. Put a new, lightly-oiled cleaning patch on the ram road and oil the
barrel.
8. Lightly oil the outside of the barrel.
Note: before battle, some prefer to run a clean patch down the barrel to
remove any oil and enhance powder flow down the barrel.
For thorough stock cleaning after each event, use a clean, moist rag,
drying and finishing-up with a light oil. Some prefer linseed oil.
Before putting your musket into storage at the end of the season, remove and
leather oil/polish the sling and then remove and clean/oil the trigger
mechanism. Reassemble.
For rust removal, use steel wool or a period brick-dust compound, then oil.
Copyright 2011-12 William J. Bahr
Pocket-size Musket Cleaning Kit
Musket Care and
Cleaning
Pedersoli 1766 Charleville Musket Parts
Vendors:
Jarnagin,
Jas. Townsend and Son,
Loyalist Arms , &
Track of the Wolf
Suggestions, click here to send email.
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